The sanctions target and freeze the U.S.-controlled assets of five banks — one in Georgia and four in Russia — and Dmitry Yuryevich Nikulin, vice president of Russia’s TSMRBank, for establishing a secret banking relationship with North Korean financial institutions that funneled millions of dollars and rubles between them.

"The U.S. remains strongly committed to leveraging all our available tools to disrupt this and other schemes intended to support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and enable (North Korea's) illicit access to the international financial system,

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on a network of five groups and one person for enabling payments between Russia and North Korea to support Moscow's war in Ukraine and Pyongyang's weapons programs,

Concerns over deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea over war in Ukraine. Russian lawmaker warns Ukrainian strikes on Russia would lead to nuclear war 15:50 A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday said that Ukrainian strikes on Russia with western weapons would lead to nuclear war and that Moscow’s response would be tough with more powerful weapons.

US action follows Kim Jong Un's meeting with top Russian security official to deepen ties between the two countries

The U.S. has placed sanctions on a network of five groups and one individual in Russia and South Ossetia for facilitating illicit payments between Russia and North Korea. This move aims to curtail North Korea's WMD programs and Russia's unlawful activities in Ukraine.

Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Thursday related to Russia and North Korea, according to the Treasury Department website, amid U.S. concerns about deepening military cooperation between the